Spring 2016 Rads

sawyer I had heart burn start a few days after I finished radsbut only lasted about a week or so maybe it was just coincidental. Paxton I was fortunate enough to get real cloth gowns. I always wore pants and shirts. Never thought about taking shorts or yoga pants. Great idea

#20 done! 5 regular and 5 boosts. My breast is darker and my nipple is practically black. Very sensitive to touch now too, We have knee length cloth gowns. I have to make sure the girls stay in. They do try to escape! 😁

I have a hard time keeping up! Lol! Amazing how different all places are. I found the hydrocortisone helped tremendously with itching. I put it on first and let it soak in the skin real well, then put any other cream on. I had a hospital gown that opened in the front and wore tree he same one everyday, I left it hanging in my locker after every treatment. I just took one arm out for treatment. I had itching all over, so used the hydrocortisone all over. Yay to all finished with rads! To all still g wrt ting treatments, it gets better! I didn't really start seeing much improvement until about 2 1/2 weeks after. Almost 4 weeks done and still have discolored hair follicles, some peeling and discoloration, but at least the itching is gone! I don't care about the rest lol!!Special shout out to Grazy, mags, and loves!!!!!!! HUGS!!!

LTF - awesome new hair! I

Ingerp, "Sisters in Radiation", we are I'd say my skin peaked yesterday because this morning my boost area is also beginning to turn a light tan and the itchiness has subsided substantially - I'm four days post-boosts now. I do acknowledge that I got off pretty darn easy. The whole breast area never got more than a light pink and had already started to tan by the time I was mid-way through the week of boosts. Yay, for our shorter protocol here.

Upon closer examination this morning, I noticed that I have some very, very tiny bumps on part of the boost area, which I presume are irritated hair follicles and that's what has been itchy, but as I said, the Glaxal Base cream helps to settle down the area (I'm just mildly itchy right now); setting a cold washcloth for five minutes on the area yesterday helped too. My issues are very minor. I had some sharp jabs in the lymph nodes yesterday and felt quite tired all day as well, but today I feel fine. Weird, weird, weird. I'm just goin' with the flow!

You might as well make coleslaw now with your cabbage!!

Wishing everyone a radiant day

Hello Canadian sisters, I'm also a southern Ontario girl. I start radiation on Friday and am SO looking forward to the end of treatment. This certainly has been quite the 'ride', one I can do without, that's for sure.

Thanks for all the tips here, I'm going out later today to buy an aloe plant for sure.

Carlsoda, not sure I can say surgery was the easy part, I'm still very sore, especially around the outer edges of what used to be my breasts. It almost feels like there's a fire going on in there. There's no signs of infection, and I've just finished 2 weeks of Keflex for an anaerobic skin infection just under the incision site. Like you', I'm tired of going to the hospital and even more tired of being poked. This leads to another question, did you find that you became more sensitive to needles during treatment?

Here's hoping everyone has an excellent day today. Stay dry if you're in Ontario!!

So now we know how different our skin advice is from the doctors what about the routine for treatment?

I go downstairs to what I call the dungeon.  No cell service.  I go into the ladies dressing room where two curtains are stocked with nice folded cotton gowns.  Breast cancer patients close in front, others I have noticed close in back.  Larger sizes are in the closet.  Once you have undressed and put your belongings in a bag they give you the first day, you wait in the room until your name is called.  No drinks or food is allowed in here and there is nothing to read and no tv so we all talk everyday.  We are allowed to keep our shoes on and there are 9 treatments rooms.  There is a monitor that tells you what rooms are running behind and which ones are on schedule.  We always have the same treatment room.  When we are called, we are escorted down the hall to our treatment room.  We give our birthday and they have a picture of us on the monitor.  We go into the room and leave our purses and clothes bag on the chair.  A soft sheet is on the table and most of the time there is no music or above table tv.  Sometimes there is so I am not sure who decides what to have on each day.  Every 6 days we have xrays along with treatment.  Normal day takes about 8 minutes once in the treatment room.  After we are done we go back to the changing room and throw our cotton gown into the dirty laundry bag.

Before treatment started I was given a nice folder with a DVD and sheets telling me what to expect.  It had on it the three tech I would have everyday.  Since that time almost 4 weeks ago, each day has been new techs.  Somedays this is no big deal but there is one tech who takes very little time adjusting me and we get in and out very fast.  Today I had all new people who could not get the adjustments correct.  Finally they did but my arms were badly contorted and sore when I left.  Hope my favorite tech is back tomorrow.  Anyone else deal with musical techs everyday?

Doctor visits are very inconsistent too.  My doctor barely is in the room before she shoots out.  Never has looked under my arm.  Last week she was gone so I had the one everyone seems to adore.  She examined me and looked at my back, underarm and forearm.  Sat in the room and answered questions.  Wow what a difference.  So again more inconsistencies. 

Curious if the Canadian experience is as different as the amount of treatments they give.  Curious also about the shoe thing.  Cleanliness?  And definitely happy to get the cotton gowns. 

LG- Hi, to you, too! Good luck on Thursday, I'll be thinking about you. I know that you'll do just fine. I won't be on here much for the next couple of weeks. My son is graduating from 8th grade (can't believe it. time has flown) then we're off to Mexico on vaca. Relaxing and having a couple of yummy drinks. That's life...at least for 10 days or so.

So, be well and heal quickly.

Have a great week and good luck to all.

#Radiate(d)This!!! #LeavinOnAJetPlane #GoodLuckToAll

Paxton & New-Girl ... good timing to read your stories about your clinics! Just met my RO this afternoon at the Cancer Clinic. This clinic felt very cold and impersonal lacking that sympathetic and caring touch compared to the other hospital where I had my diagnosis & surgery. Maybe I should not take these late appointments in the day as staff are probably fatigued. I was also disappointed that this system took it upon themselves that since 'external radiation was the norm' they did not offer me brachytherapy. Told the doctor I wanted to discuss all my options and make the decision. She agreed with me that I was a good candidate for brachytherapy but her expertise was external rad so I would have to wait to get another appointment to discuss internal rad therapy with another doctor who specializes in that field. WTF! For the first time since diagnosis, it felt like I was in the dark ages where doctors had all the power to decide what was best.

To answer your question whether Canadian experience is different. My peer coach from a community Breast Cancer Association told me she had 21 rad treatments and they were done very efficiently taking 15-20 min total time (including the undress & dress). She did however go to a different much smaller hospital in the city than the huge teaching-hospital I went to today.

Chiming in on my routine. I am greeted by administrative assistant and go straight back to treatment waiting area. My app is late afternoon and often lately there is no one else waiting. I change into my lovely cloth gown, lock my purse clothes into locker and sit to wait. The waiting room has coffee, a beautiful fish tank and plenty of reading material. I rarely have to wait longer than 5 minutes. Friday is X-ray day and Monday is Dr. Day.

They have 4 techs who rotate shifts so I have had them all. They are very friendly and am in and out within 10 minutes. There is only 1 treatment room and 1 sim room.

A nurse is always available if you have questions and she is very approachable. At one point she went to talk with RO about question. I am very pleased with the care. In the beginning there were more people that I saw no time to talk but did greet. I guess they are all done!

Ingerp- thanks for the suggestions hope they apply!

Mags- Have a great trip!

Deaconlady -Looks like we are on same schedule! Here's to the home stretch!

Welcome to those starting this board has helped me. I hope you find it encouraging.

Exhausted today after all the running around or maybe too much radiation simulation went really fast; 20 minutes at the office and a quick CT scan at the hospital. Friday I find out when I start; I asked for early mornings so I can get it done on my way into work. It was however super depressing sitting in the waiting area waiting for my turn. There was about 8 elderly people there talking about chemo/radiation and I'm like...what am I doing here?

It is interesting to see how everyone's routine is different. Mine they just provide a towel in the actual room and you slip off your top and bra and leave it on a chair by your purse. They said I will be in and out usually in 5 minutes. We shall see when I start! Tomorrow is follow up with MO for all my million tests and hopefully oncotype back.

Now sleep....I am wiped out!

Paxton I get the stains thing. It's a mix of all the gels/creams with the sharpie markings. Ugh.

I really like that my medical care has been through the private hospital in town rather than UVA. I go into the RO waiting room, scan my card, sit down (I'm usually about 15 minutes early). Rarely have to wait for more than a few minutes before I'm called back by one of the techs who will treat me that day. I go to a private changing room where I get a gown and leave my clothes. I take my purse into the treatment room and have two techs who position me and do the treatment. There are two treatment rooms and I've always been in the same one. I think six techs work there in total and I've had all but one, who I think usually works on the other side. I always say no thanks to the warmed blanket and give them my name and DOB before they ask. :-) Wednesdays are the day I get weighed, X-rayed (although images are taken every day before tx), meet with a nurse, and then with my RO.

After tx yesterday they did all the positioning/marking for my boosts, which my RO was part of. I'll be lying on my right side, up against a support thing that was formed to my back last week during the sim. Left arm overhead (like the regular zaps--getting a nice shoulder stretch out of all of this!). I have a lovely new outline of the boost area on the left side of my left hooter all around the surgery scar. First boost later today!!

LTF - Hysterical! Glad you love the free "feels".

I go to my appointment and bypass check-in to a locker/dressing room area where I change into a cloth gown and put my belongings in a locker. I wait no more than 5 minutes in a small waiting room just for radiation patients. No TV, but lots of reading material. I have had the same two techs, Adam and Sam, for each of my treatments. I see my RO and a nurse on Thursdays. After my treatment on Thursdays, I go back to the waiting room (still in my gown) and the nurse comes to get me. The process is pretty efficient.

so cold today in ontario!! Grrrr

I cannot express how much you guys detailed posts are helping me. I'm scheduled for a mapping and ct on 6/14. What should I expect? I will be exactly 3 weeks from surgery, so hopefully i won't have to do contortions on that side?